The present system pertains to interactive systems between users and servers on a global communications network, and more particularly, it pertains to such a system for creating a composite image on a computer display screen from a plurality of diverse sources.
With the rapid expansion of the World Wide Web (the web) through a global communications network, commonly known as the Internet, during the last decade, individual users operating from their own homes or offices on their personal computers, have been able to create a variety of composite text/image documents on their computer display screens suitable for printing out in various formats. This has been accomplished by working with a predetermined program previously loaded into the computer hard drive (such as the common Adobe graphics programs), or by operating interactively through a browser with a server which can continuously provide online aid and resources through downloadable Java applets or other programming tools as well as text and other graphic files.
One such interactive system of the prior art permitted the user to co-act online with the server to create a computer screen image which could later be printed out as a business card, banner, magnetic sign, etc. The process generally required the user to communicate all changes to the server which could then make the changes to the saved image at the server and then refresh the user screen to indicate the changes made to the user.
Another method of creating labels or the like using an interactive computer system operated by a user is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,374. In this system a database containing predesigned graphics is provided and stored along with a drawing program. The method includes a template selector which is user-operated to automatically select the predesigned graphics from the database, and the selected predesigned graphics are launched into the drawing program which is user-operated to manipulate the graphics.